September 4 - More Wood Carvings

Lyle and I have just returned from a family camping trip to Manitoba. It has been just over a year since we had seen family there so the mini holiday was just great. I wonder how long it will be before we can all travel safely again without thinking of restrictions imposed by the COVID virus. Even this summer, out of province travellers to Manitoba campgrounds were required to be fully vaccinated – a safety ruling to which I whole heartedly subscribe.

However, I digress. After my last post re Denis Chabot’s wood carvings, I really want to write a little more about this art form. With my limited sight, I am unable to fully appreciate 2-D art. It’s a shame, but that is the way it is. However, sculptures are a different story. Sometimes I am able to see the outline if I am up close enough, but mostly I like it when I am able to touch the sculptures or carvings themselves.

This happened when we were at a small Farmers Market in Arnes, pronounced R-nez. The village is just north of Gimli and if you are in the area on a Saturday morning, it is a pleasant way to spend a few hours. Our grandson had fun feeding the goats before we strolled around the semi permanent vendor stalls. Then we came to what I liked the most.

To one side there was a substantial play area of wood carvings. There was an old fashioned swing, a bowling lane, a teeter-totter, a zip line and more. Some one had gone to a lot of work. My favourites were the mini statues of Disney and other cartoon characters lined up facing the road.  I was able to touch and see each one.

I remember the first time that I had this hands on experience at a public exhibit. We were in San Diego at an aviation museum. Of course I was using my white cane. I was jolted out of my relative boredom of not seeing much, when a museum official approached me with a pair of white gloves. He handed them to me and encouraged me to explore the various exhibits using a hands-on approach. I was thrilled and the museum suddenly became a place of intense interest.

I have come across this invitation to accessibility on only a few occasions but when offered it has been much appreciated. I am sure that it is difficult to strike a balance between protecting valuable exhibits and ensuring that those same exhibits are accessible to those of us with limited or no vision.

There is a picture with this post. It shows our grandson standing between two carved Minions at the Arnes Farmers Market. Our grandson is around the same height as the two Minions, but of course from our viewpoint, he is ever so much cuter.

 

A grandson between two minions!